It took me many years, but I finally figured out my ideal camera: a full-frame shooter with a 50mm lens and the biggest aperture I could afford.
While these requirements are simple, they are not cheap. Current digital cameras with these specifications come with a five-digit price tag. Going back a few generations, old full-frame digital cameras with wide 50mm lenses are still out of my reach.
So, I looked into film cameras.
I was lucky enough to live near an enthusiast film camera shop. While they lack cameras, they sell various films and offer services like film development, scanning, and printing.
Each roll of film would cost me money to buy and develop. However, because of my situation, it would still cost me less than getting a contemporary digital camera with the specifications I want, even in the long run.
Film SLR cameras are, by the fact that they use 35mm film, full-frame cameras, and most of them—before the age of autofocus—come with a 50mm lens. These lenses generally come in three maximum apertures: the common f/1.8, the premium f/1.4, and the professional f/1.2.
Searching on local online platforms tells me that the most common pre-autofocus film SLR available where I am is the Canon A series. Coincidentally, I already have a 50mm f1/4 lens for the Canon FD mount, so getting a Canon A-1 seemed the right choice. It is the best camera in the series.
All the pieces fit, but only because of circumstances. If things were different, I could have ended up with a mechanical SLR without a light meter, a modern SLR with autofocus, or even no camera.
There is no perfect film camera for everyone because it all depends on your circumstances. If there are no affordable film development labs nearby, stick with digital; portability matters, so get a compact; and if there is no other choice, stick to the one you’ve got and master it.
Azizul Rahman Ismail 